Friday, January 30, 2004

The Donald Strikes TV Gold

As an escapee from 20 years in the corporate world, I find "The Apprentice" TV show to be a hoot. Not that it's anyone's idea of reality. No one but The Donald has ever made one solitary decision for Trump companies, and there is nothing entrepreneurial about Trump enterprises. But to watch 16 attractive newbie MBA wannabes and twentysomething start-up owners scramble, fight, backstab, sexualize, pout, mislead, threaten, gloat and drink to excess all in faint hopes of impressing the Big Boss....now that's business reality TV.

The numbers are tallied and read aloud at the end of each episode, much like jury felony verdicts read in court. The victors are rewarded, and the losers must enter the Lion's Den....err, Board Room, where they are stalked by The Donald who eats....err, eliminates one. We feel the the glory of financial victory, and the agony of dream-shattering defeat.

And their reward for all this pseudo life-and-death struggle? A peek at the narcissistic Emperor's rich lifestyle.....a tour of his golden palace, the richest foods at 5-star restaurants, a flight on his lavish chariot-plane, golf on his waterfall-laden private links. And for the last MBA standing, a shot at being one of the Emperor's footmen or ladies-in-waiting, thus a chance to worship His Business Deity for longer than 8 televised weeks.

All that in one hour on Thursday evenings. Now that's entertainment.

Rather like watching King Solomon and his pursuits of happiness from the comfort of my couch.